His silence is the silence of love, it is good to wait in silence for His coming

When one moves toward a time of prayer, normally they look forward to it as a time that will be one of peace and joy. Sometimes, however, for one reason or another, they may be surprised to find that this is not so on this particular day and that it is very difficult for them to settle down to celebrate such a relationship with God. 

Although they may not be aware of any reason for being distracted from God and the things of God they find that day is very difficult for them to pray quietly and to be aware that they are indeed in God’s presence. 

Perhaps, in their relationship with others, something has happened that is a source of anxiety—even a cause of anger—and it is difficult for them to set this feeling aside. They may try to pray with the joy they have experienced at other times, but do not feel joyful, and cannot pretend that they do. 

What can they do in this situation? They may think, “Oh, this is hopeless. I just can’t pray today.” Is this really true? What is true is that they cannot feel the joy of prayer they have felt at other times. However, faith is calling them to communicate with God, and the only thing they really can do is to maintain awareness that they are in God’s presence and to hope that their present mood or feeling of distraction or hurt will be lifted. 

Will God step in and lift the mood immediately? That is unlikely. Can they continue to sit in His presence although they have no feeling of great joy such as they have had at other times when they prayed to Him? Yes, they can do this. It may not seem easy or even worthwhile to do so at this point in time, but it is living out of an act of faith, one that God will accept in love from them. 

It can even happen that, when they do try to rest in stillness and to quiet their distracted mind, their lack of quiet and peace in God may seem to get worse. Yet, they should not give up on the effort. There is stillness at the center of being, and if they can find this center, they will be aware of peace deep within them from which they can reach out to God and share in His peace. 

An Augustinian priest in England, Father Benignus O’Rourke, OSA, says, “To reach the place where Christ awaits us, we need to be prepared for long periods of silence and quiet, long enough for our doubts to dissolve, our cares to lose their urgent pressures, our uncertainty to give way to trust. To wait in silence for as long as it takes is to be taken eventually to our still center where we find that the mind has become quiet and the heart is at peace. And in the stillness we find God.” (Finding Your Hidden Treasure, page 57).

Are people aware of having a “still center where [they can] find that the mind has become quiet and the heart is at peace. And in that stillness…find God?” Maybe yes, maybe not. But now that it has been brought to their attention, perhaps, sooner or later, they may experience this. 

Do they have to say endless vocal prayers to assure themselves that they are praying? No. Father Benignus quotes an unknown poet who wrote, “Abandon yourself to Him in longing love, simply holding on to nothing but Him so that you may enter the silence of eternity and know the union of yourself with Him. And if in the silence, He does not answer, He is still there. His silence is the silence of love…It is good to wait in silence for His coming.”

Do people sometimes experience “the silence of love” with other human beings whom they love? Perhaps they do with a friend who is very close to them as they both engage in activities that, for a time, call for all their concentration. They are focused on each other’s activities, but at the same time, they are aware of and appreciative of each other’s presence, and they know that, sooner rather than later, they will once again be communicating directly with each other in their usual style. 

In the same way, in prayer, people can sometimes move from a sense of Christ being distant in their lives to a sense of His presence. They must continue to try to pray the prayer of silence especially when, for one reason or another, they cannot seem to feel or be aware of God’s presence during their prayer time.